Read on Twitter
Hello! I just wanted to check in as a human for a minute here. This& #39;ll be the first of 2 threads.
I& #39;m doing better emotionally, getting professional help, pushing myself to be braver and more vulnerable and, importantly, discerning which spaces are conducive to that growth. (1)
I& #39;m doing better emotionally, getting professional help, pushing myself to be braver and more vulnerable and, importantly, discerning which spaces are conducive to that growth. (1)
As such, I am spending little time, if any, engaging with the Twitter home feed. Stepping away has helped me see more clearly how fundamentally this platform and its culture are fueled by shame and all that it generates: judgment, comparison, one-upmanship, perfectionism.... (2)
It is, in a word, abusive. If another person constantly makes you feel bad about yourself, and then responds to that shame with an insistence that you need them in your lives to function or to feel better, we would not hesitate to call that abuse. (3)
But it& #39;s hard to tell when the air stinks if it& #39;s all you& #39;ve been breathing. I can& #39;t use this to urge anyone to quit Twitter— I have no plans to do so myself. I acknowledge that this is born of weakness and comfort. I& #39;m not ready yet. But, I am trying to get more fresh air. (4)
In reevaluating my relationship with this platform, I& #39;m grateful for other means of engaging with my favorite creators and artists. I& #39;m grateful for friends who send me the art they discover. I& #39;m grateful for the imperfect FE Reddit community and its capacity for dialogue. (5)
I& #39;ll continue to post here, but know that I& #39;m also posting on Tumblr, Reddit, and dA (very backlogged there atm tho). It& #39;s helped me to be able to compare how using these platforms makes me feel. They& #39;re flawed, but none stokes the kind of shame and anxiety that Twitter does. (6)
This will be different for everybody— there& #39;s no one right answer. I encourage you all to reflect and consider whether/how the social media you use has affected your mental health. If you& #39;re not sure, reach out to me here or via DM and I& #39;d be happy to chat person-to-person. (7)
You& #39;ve heard "get help if you can," but I& #39;d amend that: get help even if you think you don& #39;t deserve it. Don& #39;t wait until it& #39;s past a certain threshold of Bad. Don& #39;t view mental healthcare as something "earned," as a reward for improvement or compensation for suffering. (8)
You& #39;ve heard "don& #39;t let social media measure your worth as a person," but I& #39;d amend that too: beyond metrics, numbers, follower count, the real challenge is refusing to let ourselves be measured by the people who have unwittingly become cogs of this shame machine. (9)
It is an absolute fool& #39;s errand to spend time and energy and empathy on trying to say the right thing, or avoid saying the wrong thing, on this platform. It is downright self-harming to absorb thousands of strangers& #39; voices and codify all of them into your own values. (10)
Doesn& #39;t it hurt to entrust your heart to an uncaring public? Does it help you create, or build, or improve the world around you? Does it fortify you to challenge injustice? By all means, save your trust for the people who are truly invested in your well-being and good-being. (11)
This isn& #39;t about casting good-or-bad, heaven-or-hell judgment on Twitter or (much less) its users, or even really about spurring action in others. I mainly want to express that I am setting boundaries around my heart and mind as I use this particular space. (12)
That& #39;s also why I identified this moment, when I am calm, well-rested and well-fed, and aware of the love and trust present in my life to speak about this. It is not reactive. I& #39;m doing well right now, and so that& #39;s how I know it& #39;s important for me to say this. (13)
Thank you for your time and attention, both in this thread and more broadly. I will continue to do my best to ensure that I do not abuse that gift. Love and courage to you all. 
https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="❤️" title="Rotes Herz" aria-label="Emoji: Rotes Herz">(14)
